Search intent

The four types of search intent

Informational: Learning or understanding something. "What is responsive design", "how to improve page speed". These searchers want guides, tutorials, or explanations—not products.

Navigational: Finding a specific site or page. "Facebook login", "BBC weather". Users know where they want to go; they're using search as navigation.

Commercial: Researching options before buying. "Best web hosting 2025", "Astro vs Next.js". These searchers compare solutions, read reviews, and evaluate alternatives.

Transactional: Ready to act. "Hire web designer", "buy domain name", "book website audit". High purchase intent—they've finished research and want to convert.

Why matching intent matters

Creating content that mismatches intent wastes effort. A product page won't rank for "what is email marketing"—informational intent. A tutorial won't rank for "hire email marketer"—transactional intent. Search engines have learned to match results to intent.

Even if you somehow rank with mismatched content, visitors bounce immediately. They wanted information, you pitched a service. They wanted to buy, you gave them a guide. High bounce rates signal poor relevance, hurting rankings further.

Identifying search intent

Search the keyword yourself. What type of content ranks? If top results are blog posts and guides, that's informational intent. If they're product pages and pricing tables, that's transactional. Google's results reveal intent.

Query structure provides hints: "how to", "what is", "guide to" signal informational. "Best", "vs", "review" indicate commercial. "Buy", "hire", "near me" show transactional intent.

Content strategy by intent

Build content clusters addressing multiple intent types. Informational content attracts early-stage prospects. Commercial content nurtures consideration. Transactional pages convert ready buyers.

Keyword research should map intent explicitly. Group keywords by intent, then create appropriate content types. This ensures every page serves its intended purpose.

Intent-first planning

We analyse search intent before building pages. What do searchers actually want? Creating content that genuinely serves that intent—not just targets keywords—leads to better rankings and higher conversion rates.